Liberty Party Reconciliation Paper Section III

Along with healing the wounds of the civil war, a Liberty Party Government will work diligently to reduce the economic disparities that exist in the country. Reconciling the wide gap between the haves and have-nots in Liberia is crucial to the long-term peace and stability of the country. Liberia is rich in natural resources, but 95% of Liberians live on US$1.00 or less a day (CIA Fact Book). This has been Liberia’s economic history.

The majority of Liberians live in poverty, and generally out of the reach of the many opportunities that the country has to offer. For many of the young people who live in the interior of the country, quality education is only a dream. For every one child who manages to get a good education, hundred others will not acquire the rudimentary skills to make a decent living in today’s highly competitive economic environment. This lack of good, quality, skills-building education perpetuates an unending circle of poverty that has shackled many families. On the other hand, their urban counterparts, particularly those who come from that elite class that has monopolized the nation’s wealth, enjoy the best the nation has to offer in education and career opportunities. It is clear that Liberia will not become a stable and peaceful society with this state of affairs; the system is unsustainable. Any government that ignores these realities is doomed to perpetuate the failed economic policies of previous governments and thereby set the country on a sure road of instability and disharmony.

A Liberty Party Government will commit to reducing the economic disparities that currently exist in the country. Our Government’s economic reconciliation policy will be based on the belief that peace, harmony, and development will only be assured if an environment can becreated that gives all Liberians equal access to the opportunities that the country has to offer. To achieve this objective, a Liberty Party Government will:

Invest in the country’s educational system in such a way that young people all round the

country can acquire quality education right where they are. A good education is the guarantee for breaking the cycle of poverty.